Practicing the Presence of God
Sermon OverviewScripture Passage: Genesis 37:1There are many people who are existing but are not living. The secret to an abundant life is practicing the presence of God.Perhaps the most Christ-like character in the Old Testament was Joseph. No matter what happened to him, Joseph practiced the presence of God. The Bible says, “...the Lord was with him.” (Genesis 39)There are four principles in Genesis 37 that reveal how to prosper like Joseph.Joseph expressed his God-given difference.Joseph was different, distinct by his nobility. His brothers hated him because he would not conform. When God saved us, God made us different; we are somebody in his sight. Romans 12:2 says, “Be not conformed to this world.” The world wants to squeeze us into its mold. When we refuse to conform, it resents our nobility in the Lord Jesus Christ.Joseph explored his God-given dreams.When Joseph was just a teenager, God put a dream into his heart. God has not promised to fulfill our fantasies; rather, He has plans for us and wants us to dream God-given dreams. How can we know what we are supposed to hope for?We must present ourselves to Him and ask Him for the mind of Christ. Adrian Rogers says, “You don’t find the will of God; God’s will finds you.”Joseph endured his God-given difficulties.Joseph did not have an easy life. He was sold as a slave by his brothers. He’s falsely accused and thrown in prison. However, in Genesis 50:20, when confronted by his brothers, Joseph said: “As for you, you thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good...” God allows us to have difficulties in life; He does not cause these things, but wherever man rules, God overrules.Joseph enlisted his God-given dynamic.When the Bible says that, “God was with him,” it means that God was for him, working on his behalf. God was with him in times of persecution, responsibility, temptation, of slander, and suffering. God was with him.How humbling it is to know God is with us, too!Apply it to your lifeWould you like to prosper as Joseph prospered? Prosperity is the progressive realization of the will of God for your life. Express your God-given difference, explore your God-given dreams, endure your God-given difficulties, and enlist your God-given dynamic.